ASIA PACIFIC THE BOOM CONTINUES

In Asia and the Pacific, international tourist arrivals are forecast by the UNWTO to increase by 331 million to reach 535 million by 2030 (+4.9% per year), making it the region with the highest absolute gain in arrivals. The largest increase will come from North-East Asia, adding 9 million arrivals a year.

In cash terms, Asia and the Pacific generated US$495 billion in international tourism expenditure in 2015 – whether by overnight or same-day travellers – or some 39% of the world total, up from 20% in 2000, after several years of double-digit growth.

China has emerged as the fastest growing source market in recent years and the top spender in international tourism since 2012, both in Asia and the Pacific and globally.

At the First World Conference on Tourism for Development in Beijing in 2016, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang stated “…Travel is no longer a luxury for the few, but rather a necessary consumption for the average Chinese…”